Healing
by AbsenteeAuthor23
Summary: Kellie has finally left her abusive boyfriend and found her way back into the arms of the Sons of Anarchy. Weeks after her breakup, she is finally feeling like her old self again and becoming much closer to a certain Son than she'd ever expected to be. When the demon from her past comes back to tear her down, will Tig be able to protect her or will she finally be too broken to fix?


**A/N: Well hey there, . Long time, no see, eh? It's been over a year since I've last been on here, and I'm hoping that my readers don't hate me too much for sort of abandoning my other story. For anyone who's wondering, I do plan to someday come back to it, but I definitely want to make some major changes/improvements. Looking back at the writings of my fifteen year-old self, I'm pretty embarrassed. Anyway, this is my first Sons of Anarchy fanfiction and is intended to be a one-shot. For now, that is. If I get any reviews that want me to continue it, I do know where I'd like to take the story, so continuation is a possibility. This is based off of a dream I had, along with a few experiences of my own, and of course, Sons of Anarchy. Which I do not own. Anyway, Tig is my favoriteeeee, followed closely by Jax and Chibs. I'm aware that this doesn't really include much of the show's storyline at all, but all I really wanted was Tig in there. If I continue it, I'll try to include a bit of plot in it. **

**It's a bit of a dark story, so reader discretion is advised. _A rape does occur_, but I promise, the character can and will recover from it, whether I decide to publish another chapter of this or not. Hopefully y'all don't hate it. I wrote this all in a few hours and I didn't use a beta, so any and all mistakes are mine. Let me know if I should continue or take it down. The story alternates between my OC's point of view and Tig's. While the story was hard to write, I found strength in getting it out, so I hope that there's not too much hate because I posted this for me just as much as I did for everybody else. Anyway, here goes.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC, SOA owns the rest. **

I blushed and giggled like a high schooler as Tig brushed my windswept hair out of my face, his fingers grazing along the edge of my jaw and making me shiver slightly. He smiled as I handed him his helmet, blue eyes flashing in the most enticing way. Grabbing my hand in his, he tugged me along the path that led up to my front door and waited patiently while I fumbled around in my purse for my keys.

Finally, I found the correct key and unlocked the door. I immediately started towards the kitchen, hearing Tig follow me inside and shut the door quietly behind him. Opening the cabinet to find a wine glass, I felt him come up and wrap his arms around my waist from behind, resting his chin on top of my head.

"Want to stay for a glass, Tiggy?" I asked playfully, standing up on my tiptoes to reach for the glasses, but he beat me to it, grabbing only a single glass before shutting the cabinet and gently spinning me around to face him.

"As appealing as the offer is," he said softly, gazing down at me, "I've got to get back to the clubhouse. Church starts in half an hour."

I groaned in mock disappointment, and he chuckled as I snatched the glass out of his hand and set it on the counter. When I turned around again, he was standing right behind me again, wine bottle already in hand.

"Rain check, sweetheart. I'll be back before you know it to soak up your alcohol and company." He bent down and quickly pecked me on the cheek, engulfing me in a brief hug before backing slowly out of the kitchen. "See you tomorrow?"

I smiled and blew him a kiss, content in the fact that I would see him sooner rather than later.

"Tomorrow, Tig. Thanks for the ride home, and thanks for everything you guys have done for me in the past few weeks. I haven't felt this happy in a long time."

He winked at me before finally disappearing around the corner. I heard the front door open just a few seconds later.

"Anytime, darlin'," he called out behind him, "Call if you need anything! See you tomorrow!" With that, I heard the door shut behind him.

I let out a sigh of contentment. Ever since the drama of a few weeks ago, Tig and the rest of the Sons had been all too happy to lift me up out of my post-breakup gloom. Even though I was relieved to end the relationship, the way that I finally ended things with Blake was anything but smooth and easy. At the clubhouse, however, I could forget all about the bad things that surfaced whenever I thought of my former boyfriend, and I quickly found that I felt more at ease now than I ever had in the eight months that I had been with Blake.

Minutes later, I was sitting on the couch with my small dinner made, book in one hand and glass of wine in the other, when the doorbell rang. Glancing at my watch, I figured that Tig had come back because he'd forgotten something; I could think of nobody else who would come calling this late in the evening.

I stood up and made my way towards the foyer, frowning as the doorbell rang twice more. _Church does start in a few minutes, he must not want to run late._

"Coming!" I called out, crossing the last few steps to the entrance. Opening the door, my smile fell from my face and the greeting died on my lips as I gaped at the one person who I had hoped to never see again.

Recovering quickly from my shock, I immediately went to slam the door in his face, but his hand shot out and stopped it from closing, forcing it open again. Fighting down my impending scream, I turned and raced down the hallway to the kitchen, trying to ignore the sound of him slamming the door shut behind him and his footsteps echoing in my wake.

I had just made it to my phone where it had been charging on the counter when he stepped into the kitchen, pausing briefly as he took in the scene of me frantically dialing Tig's number. My shaking hand held the phone up to my ear as I waited for it to start ringing, and my heart sunk as he started toward me, anger flashing in his stormy grey eyes.

"Hey, baby. Didn't I tell you that I'd come back for you?" Blake's voice was exactly as I remembered it, smooth and threatening all at once. He took another step in my direction, and I knew that this would probably be my only chance.

I made a break for escape, darting around the other side of the island, but he was too fast for me. Before I knew it, he slung one arm around my waist, his other hand coming up to cover my mouth and stifle my scream. My phone clattered to the floor, and I struggled against him, fighting against his rough grip. I watched in horror as the screen flashed and the timer started, signaling the beginning of the call.

_ What can I do for you, beautiful?_ I screamed futilely against the hand over my mouth, but I knew that the phone probably wouldn't pick up the muffled sound. The sound of Tig's voice, light with laughter, echoed softly through the room. _Kellie? Are you there, sweetheart?_

Blake slammed me backwards and pinned my hips to the edge of the counter with his, the force of it causing tears to prick at the corners of my eyes. Making sure to keep his hand pressed to my mouth, he reached down with the other to pick my phone up, ignoring the dampened sounds of my screams.

_Kellie? Are you-?_

I whimpered in defeat as he pressed the end call button and Tig's voice was abruptly cut off. Blake slid my phone into his pocket and replaced his arm in its original position around my waist.

"You know, babe, it's rude to be on your phone when someone's trying to talk to you. I ought to teach you some manners," he murmured softly, his voice steely next to my ear, "If I take my hand off your mouth, will you be a good girl and keep quiet?"

I nodded, my eyes wide with fear, and he smiled down at me. Slowly, he removed his hand, only to pull it back and slap me hard across the face when I opened my mouth and let out the loudest scream I could manage. The force of the blow effectively cut me off, and I let out a cry of pain instead. Blake covered my mouth back up again and glared at me, lowering his face so that it was even with mine and I could feel his breath warm my cheek.

"Listen here, you stupid whore. Try that again, and I'll gag you and then show you a new definition of pain. Understand?"

This time when I nodded, I really meant it. I wouldn't put it past Blake to lose control and seriously hurt me, so I resigned myself to play along with his game. I could already feel the bruise forming on the side of my face where he'd hit me, and I flinched instinctually away when he took his hand off again, raising it up in a position to strike me if I made a wrong move.

"What do you want, Blake?" I asked quietly when I determined it was safe to speak. His cruel glare turned to a grin, and he leaned down to nuzzle his nose against the shell of my ear. I tried to fight the shudder of disgust that ran through me as he began to speak.

"Don't sound so tense, baby," he whispered, "I just want to talk…" He trailed off and brushed my hair over my shoulder, letting his lips trail down my neck, licking and nipping as he went lower. I squirmed against him and he just gripped me tightly by the shoulders, effectively holding me still. Hot tears slid down my cheeks as I realized how little control I had over the situation. I had been such an idiot for thinking that he'd never come back to cause more trouble.

"Blake, please…" I whimpered, "Don't do this. Please." My voice broke on the last word, and his head snapped up to hold my gaze. I tried to dip my head, to look anywhere aside from his smug, victorious expression, but he grasped my chin roughly in his fingers, forcing my face up to his. Grey eyes met mine, and he let out a soft laugh as he lowered his head until he was almost brushing my mouth with his own.

"Aww, c'mon Kellie. I'm only just getting started. Didn't you miss me?" With that, his hand slid from my chin into my hair, tugging my head painfully back as he crushed his lips to mine.

* * *

><p><em>Thirty minutes earlier<em>

Tig grinned as Kellie's door closed shut behind him. He couldn't believe how far she'd come since she finally got the courage to cut ties with that asshole boyfriend of hers. She was finally starting to resemble the old Kellie again, the one who stood up for herself and didn't flinch away when anyone moved or raised their voice near her.

He remembered the first time that he'd seen her after her boyfriend started getting rough with her. It had been almost a month since she mysteriously started making excuses about why she stopped coming to the clubhouse and refused to let any of the guys come see her. The few times they had talked on the phone, she sounded small and scared, unusual for her bubbly, confident personality. One of the prospects had seen her at the store and reported that she looked almost unrecognizable. After Rat had confided in Tig that he thought he saw some bruises on her face, he had camped outside her house, waiting until the douchebag left for work and she was alone to come up to the door and ring the bell.

The Kellie that answered was a skinny, broken version of the girl that Tig had come to adore, and the look of fear that crossed her face when she realized who had come to visit nearly crushed his heart. She had lost a lot of weight, and her clothes hung loosely about her body. The most noticeable difference, however, was the spattering of bruises that seemed to cover most of her skin that was visible.

Her lip looked to have a newly healing cut, a dark purple blotch spread across a good portion of her left cheek and jaw, and there were marks at various stages of healing on her throat and arms that resembled handprints too closely to be a coincidence. It had taken all of Tig's self control not to turn around on the spot and hunt down the piece of shit who called himself her boyfriend. The need to see Kellie and comfort her took all precedence however.

It had taken him almost five minutes to even convince her to let him in the house, but as soon as the door shut behind him, she had burst into tears and fell into his arms. Tig led her into the living room and went to the kitchen to make her a cup of tea, and when he returned, he eventually managed to coax her into telling him what was going on.

Despite his charming appearances during the first several months of their relationship, her boyfriend had eventually become rough and temperamental. Apparently, Blake didn't like Kellie hanging around the Sons or any people that he didn't like in general. He thought that she was too outspoken and unladylike. If she ever did anything that triggered his temper, she was met with a slap to the face or being slammed against something at the very least. Over the past few months, Blake had gradually used fear and violence to take control of most aspects of Kellie's life, dictating what she wore, who she could talk to, even what she could eat.

The whole time, Tig had tried not to betray the pure rage running through him. He had to promise her to keep their meeting a secret, provided she allowed him to come in and check on her every few days, always when Blake was away. In the following weeks, she had regained some of her confidence and realized how she was not at fault for the beatings she was receiving. Each new bruise tugged at Tig's heartstrings, and eventually he couldn't hold his tongue any longer.

One day, instead of saying his usual goodbye, Tig had pulled Kellie into his arms and looked her directly in the eye.

"It ends today. Pack his shit up," was all he said, and she had nodded resolutely, finally ready to take control of her life again. It only took a few calls after he left to put his plan into action, and by the time he reached Blake's workplace, Jax, Chibs, Juice, and Happy were waiting in the parking lot. They had jumped him as he walked out to his car, and within minutes, he was a bloody, quivering mess on the pavement.

"You move out tonight," Tig had growled in his ear, "Lay a hand on her again, and I'll knock your fucking teeth in." Blake had gotten in his car and drove away, and Tig followed back to Kellie's place on his motorcycle, watching as the piece of shit carried his shit out of the house and eventually left. Kellie never told Tig what Blake had said before he made his exit, but it had been enough to prompt her to ask him to stay with her for the night. Thus began her slow process to returning to her former, strong self.

Brought back to the present, Tig swung a leg over his bike and started back to the clubhouse. The whole drive home, he thought about how much better Kellie had gotten in the time since her breakup. She had regained the weight she lost and her skin returned to its normal, healthy glow. She kept her head up more than ever and she smiled every chance she got. While she had been beautiful before she started dating Blake, now she was utterly striking, the experience of the previous months giving her an even higher place in Tig's heart.

He thought that he had feelings for her before, but Tig knew now, after seeing her eyes dance whenever he'd say her name and feeling her body pressed against him in their now regular embraces, that he'd fallen in love with her. The only issue would be trying to get her to feel the same. He had hope though, especially in recent days.

By the time he reached TM, he was nearly grinning from ear to ear. Strolling into the clubhouse, he was met with knowing looks from all the guys. While they all loved Kellie to pieces, they all knew that she held an extra special place in Tig's heart, and she in his. Ignoring some snarky remarks from Chibs, he grabbed a beer from the bar and sat down, content to bide the time before church with a drink and thoughts of his dream girl. With only two minutes until they all sat down at the table, he felt his phone vibrate and he pulled it out of his pocket, trying to suppress the dopey smile that threatened to spread across his face at seeing her name under the caller ID.

"What can I do for you beautiful?" Tig asked smoothly, imagining the blush that was probably creeping across her cheeks. A moment passed and there was no answer from the other end, just some indistinguishable sounds. "Kellie? Are you there, sweetheart?"

He waited for another moment, convinced that she must have accidentally dialed his number from her pocket. Tig was about to hang up when he heard a muffled thud and what sounded almost like Kellie's voice, but it sounded more like a grunt than words. Furrowing his brow, he wondered if something else was going on.

"Kellie? Are you alright? Say something, darlin'." Before he could finish, the line went dead, and he frowned at his phone. Tig started dialing her number to call her back, but a hand clapped down on his shoulder as the guys began to file into the other room to begin discussion. He swore and slid his phone back into his pocket, promising himself that once club business was handled, he'd call her back and make sure that she was okay.

* * *

><p><em>"Aww, c'mon Kellie. I'm only just getting started. Didn't you miss me?" With that, his hand slid from my chin into my hair, tugging my head painfully back as he crushed his lips to mine.<em>

I struggled and tried to pull away from him, but Blake held me tight by my hair. Tears were flowing freely from my eyes by the time he came up for air, and he slid his hand over my cheek, brushing away the moisture that gathered there. Still effectively pinning my body to the counter with his, Blake's other hand slowly skimmed down my arm and briefly rested at my hip before I felt it brush up under the hem of my shirt, his cool fingers pressing against my skin.

He just chuckled softly when I tried to push him off me, digging his nails into the exposed skin at my waist. I hissed in pain, and he only grabbed harder at me.

"Blake, stop. You're hurting me!"

His eyes hardened, and his lips curled into a snarl. I felt his fingers curl in my hair again, and he yanked roughly, earning a yelp from me.

"_I_ hurt _you?" _he repeated incredulously, "What about when you sent that gang of white trash bikers after me, hmm? Did you ever think how much that hurt me?" Blake pulled my head back further, causing pain to shoot through my neck and head. His hand came up to squeeze my breast, and I tried not to whimper too loudly, afraid to incense him even more.

"All I wanted was for you to fucking _love _me, but you _just. never. listened."_ Every word was punctuated with a painful squeeze of my breast or pull on my hair. "You were supposed to be a good girl, that was the only _fucking_ thing I asked, but you just had to misbehave, didn't you?"

His hands completely left my body for a short instant, but my sigh of relief was cut off short as he suddenly gripped my hips and spun me around. Blake grabbed me forcefully by the back of the neck and slammed me down face first against my counter, bending me over and pressing himself against my ass. I groaned in pain when my cheek made contact with the hard marble, closing my eyes against the spots that clouded my vision. He ground himself against me, and I shuddered at the feeling of the bulge in his pants; he was enjoying this immensely, and it made me sick with fear.

"Blake, plea-" I was interrupted when he tightened his grip in my hair again, lifting my head up and slamming it against the countertop once more. Pain shot through my head, and I felt a trickle of blood seep from where my skin had split with the force of the blow. All I knew was pain at that point, and I fell limp, barely registering as he reached around to undo my pants, sliding them down my legs and leaving me exposed in just my shirt and panties.

I could barely move, too dizzy from hitting the counter to even move to push him off. Blake slid one hand under me to paw at my breast again, and the other brushed the hair to one side of my neck as he leaned down and put his lips next to my ear.

"You know what happens to girls who misbehave," he growled out, emphasizing his statement with another press of his hips against my ass, "I should fuck you over the counter like the filthy slut you are, but lucky for you, I want to see all of you first."

My body shook weakly with sobs. After the glow of the last few weeks, to be thrown back into a situation like this, worse than it had ever been before, was crushing. Blake lifted me up by the shoulders and turned me around to face him again. I tried to put my arms up to shield myself from him, but he easily pushed them away. It was all I could do to keep myself standing upright; the two blows that my head took against the counter left me disoriented and weak. Blake made short work of ripping the buttons of my shirt, and I shivered as the cool air of my house washed over my chest and stomach.

His eyes hungrily took in the sight of me, and I made a sad attempt at covering myself up, but he just grabbed my wrists and pinned them to my sides, looking me up and down. Blake leaned down to press a hot kiss to my neck, trailing his lips up the side of my throat and up over my jaw. He slid his hands up to grab the sides of my face as he molded his lips to mine.

As I felt the pressure of his grip disappear, I saw the opportunity to push him off me. I raised my hands up and shoved as hard as I could against his chest, causing him to fall slightly off balance. Stumbling around him, I only got a step or two away before he caught me by my hair, and I screamed in pain as he jerked me backwards against his chest. Within seconds, he had spun me around and backhanded me hard across the face, letting me fall to the floor as I lost what little balance I had.

This time as I fell, the back of my head caught the corner of the cabinet on the way down, and I curled in around myself as the world spun and blackness consumed the edges of my vision. My hands clutched at my throbbing head and I moaned in pain, but my attention quickly switched to Blake as he climbed over me, straddling my hips and pinning my arms above me.

"I'm getting tired of repeating myself, bitch," he snarled, "_Stop misbehaving. _I've been waiting for this for weeks, so it's about time you gave me a proper welcome home."

With that, he lifted himself off of me just as quickly as he'd settled over me. Blake lifted me up by the shoulders and stood me up on wobbly feet, allowing me a second to try and keep my balance while staying conscious, which was not an easy feat. Then, he bent down and grabbed me around the backs of my thighs, effortlessly throwing me over his shoulder, the movement causing the black edges to grow around my sight. When I saw where he was headed, I was filled with panic.

"No, please! Just let me go!" My protests were weak and unacknowledged as he carried us up the stairs and down the hallway to my bedroom. I pounded uselessly against his back, but it was like trying to knock down a wall. I could barely stay awake, let alone escape from his iron hold. "Blake, please!"

I received no response from him. We reached my room and he strolled across the floor, tossing me roughly onto the bed and jumping on after me, straddling me once more. With each sudden movement, I felt more and more dizzy, and all I could do was writhe under him and hope that I would suddenly wake up from this horrible nightmare.

"Isn't this a familiar sight, Kellie?" Blake grinned wildly and leaned down to capture my lips with his, grinding against me. My eyes, previously clenched shut to fight the pain of my head and the horror of the situation, flew open when I realized that one of my only chances of salvation lay only a few feet away from me.

My gaze shifted to the bedside table, gauging the distance to it and my ability to reach it before Blake, but he had sensed something change in me. I watched in disappointment as his eyes trailed over to where mine had just been. Making sure to keep one hand firmly wrapped around my throat, Blake reached over to the little table and opened the top drawer, reaching inside.

"Looking for this?" he asked quietly, his eyes steely with rage as he held the gun that I kept there up for me to see, "You were going to use this on me? You would have _shot me?"_ The last thing I registered was the gun cutting through the air towards me before I felt a sharp pain in my temple and the world finally went black.

When I awoke shortly after, little had changed. The biggest difference was that I was now completely unclothed, as was Blake. I shifted, terrified, but I was stopped by a stab of pain in my wrist and a low clang; glancing up, I saw that he had taken the opportunity to handcuff my hand to my bedpost. I started to panic, trying to jerk myself free, but Blake stopped me with another slap.

"I was hoping that this would transpire differently," he murmured quietly, trailing his finger down my face, making me wince as he pressed down on the tender flesh, "but you just had to make it difficult. This is your fault, baby, not mine."

Without further warning, he slammed up into me, causing me to moan in pain. I cried out, trying incoherently to beg him to stop, but all that came out were mangled sobs as he continued to thrust into me. His fingers dug into my hips, and he leaned down to bite down hard on the spot where my neck met my shoulder, only causing me to scream louder.

"P-please, Blake," I whimpered through my tears, but he'd just reached up to hit me again. Blake pounded into me harder, and I felt myself shaking with the force of him slamming in and out of me, combined with my relentless sobs.

It went on like that for a few minutes, Blake relentlessly fucking me while I quivered weakly beneath him. I thought it would never end, but the moment was broken when we felt my phone vibrate in his pocket where he had placed it earlier. Growling in irritation, he paused briefly to reach back and pull it out, seemingly intent on throwing it to the side. When he read the caller ID, however, he cursed and stopped entirely, turning the phone around so that I could see it. Through my tears, I could read the name, and my heart clenched: Tig.

"Answer it, or he'll just come over here to check on you," Blake commanded, reaching over with his other hand to grab my gun off the nightstand where he'd left it. I cringed as he placed the barrel against my temple and I heard him click the safety off. "Tell him you're fine and to leave you alone. Give _any _indication that I'm here, and I'll pull the trigger. Don't test me."

I blinked away the tears that filled my eyes, frozen in fear at the threat in his voice and the cool metal of my own gun against my head. Seconds later, he pushed the button and held the phone up to my ear, pressing the gun even harder against me as a reminder of what was at stake.

"Hello?" I whispered, trying to will my voice into sounding more normal. Blake locked his gaze with mine, and he shook his head, indicating that I would have to try harder.

_"Kellie?"_ Tig's voice cut through the silence in the room, and I held back a sob, trying not to let Tig hear how upset and scared I was. _"Sweetheart, is everything okay? You called earlier, but I couldn't hear anything."_

"I'm fine, Tig," I said almost robotically, my voice raspy and weak from all the crying and screaming I'd been doing. I swallowed thickly, trying to ignore the weight of Blake pressed on top of me, the feel of him still inside of me even as I spoke to the one man who'd taken over the most important place in my heart. "Just a bit tired, no need to worry."

Blake smiled at me, seemingly pleased with the poor front that I was putting on. He shifted, and I let out an involuntary whimper as he pushed deeper inside me. There was a tense silence as Tig paused; he definitely knew that something wasn't right, and I prayed to any and all higher powers that Blake wouldn't catch on.

_"What was that, darlin? Are you sure you're alright?"_ The concern in his voice was evident, and I could almost see his eyes narrowing in suspicion. _"I'll be over in a flash if you need anythi-"_

"No!" I answered, probably a little too quickly, the panic in my voice seeping through even more. "No, it's fine. Just feeling a bit under the weather. Must have been all the time we spent outside in the cool air today. I'll be fine tomorrow, just got to get some sleep."

The silence stretched over us, and I cringed into the mattress, hoping that Blake wouldn't detect my lie. My time today had been spent primarily in the clubhouse, messing around at the bar and hanging out with all the Sons and our friends. I knew that Tig would understand that I was lying, though, and I hoped that he wouldn't betray his suspicion now.

_"Okay, sweetheart. Feel better then…" _Blake grinned widely at me now, and he shifted once again, slowly pulling out and sliding back in. Tears spilled over my cheeks and I bit my lip to keep from crying out. _"I'll be by to check on you tomorrow. See you soon, beautiful."_

I opened my mouth to reply, but Blake ended the call the second that Tig stopped talking. He tossed the phone to the side and set the gun back on the nightstand. Then, he reached down to grab my hips as he slammed into me again, resuming his earlier ministrations. Grunting in pleasure, he leaned down again to attack my neck and chest with his mouth.

"That's a good biker slut," he mumbled against my skin, the warmth of his breath making me shudder, "Why are you so much more agreeable when Trager is involved, hmm?" I didn't answer, closing my eyes shut against the pain of Blake's relentless pounding and the emotional helplessness of being unable to stop him from having his way with me.

"Whatever, babe," he said when I remained silent, "As long as they know that this pussy belongs to me and nobody else." At that, I felt a sharp pain in my side, just above my hipbone, and I screamed as I felt the cool blade of a knife press into my already bruised flesh. Blake said nothing, only chuckling as he held my writhing hips down while he carved into me.

My head fell back against the pillows, and I prayed that Tig was coming, that he'd come end this. At the thought of Tig, the pain seemed to fade slightly, but I couldn't tell if it was a slight flicker of hope in my chest or if it was just due to the knife ceasing to cut into my skin. Blake slid down my body, bending his head to press a kiss to his new masterpiece before darting his tongue out to lick at the flowing blood there. I whimpered as pain flared up again when he touched the wound, and he just laughed.

"Like I said, you're mine, Kellie."

With those words, he climbed back over me and resumed fucking me. My whole body ached, and my vision blurred. Hope fading again, I felt myself just shut down, willing myself to be anywhere but there.

It seemed like hours before Blake released inside of me and finally slid out of me. I barely registered as he rolled off of me and stood up, beginning to put his clothing back on. I didn't even realize that I had still been crying until he reached over to wipe the tears off my cheeks before he leaned down to kiss me again. As soon as he pulled away, I curled into myself and began sobbing violently, harder than I had all night. I didn't even notice when he clipped the handcuffs off of my wrist.

"See you soon, baby," he had whispered in my ear before he strolled out of the room, "This wasn't how I imagined our little reunion going, but it wasn't my plan that you had to be so difficult. That's your fault, not mine."

His footsteps echoed down the hallway as he left, and soon the house was quiet again, empty aside from my broken sobs and crushed spirit.

* * *

><p>As soon as the line went dead, Tig jumped into action. Seeing that Jax was the only one left in the parking lot at that point, Tig strolled quickly over to him. Jax paused after he threw a leg over his bike, sensing something from the urgency in Tig's eyes.<p>

"Just got off the phone with Kellie," Tig said quickly, already jumping on his own bike, "She didn't sound okay at all. I think something's seriously wrong, brother." Jax's eyes widened at Tig's statement, and he nodded in understanding.

"Should we call the guys back?" he asked worriedly.

Tig just shook his head and started up his engine.

"Nah, not enough time. Just come check things out with me and make sure everything is alright." With that, they both rode off into the night, spurred on by the worry that they felt for one of the only women who they truly cared about in their lives.

The ride to Kellie's house was the longest of Tig's life. Only about fifteen minutes, it seemed to drag on forever, and by the time that they pulled into the driveway, his hands were nearly shaking with the anxiety that had stolen over him. They jogged up to the front door and pushed it open, not even needing to turn the handle since it had been left ajar. Tig's heart sank. He clearly remembered shutting it behind him when he'd made his earlier exit.

They called out her name, but there was no answer. After exchanging a worried look, Jax turned into the living room, checking the front side of the house, and as Tig headed towards the kitchen, he tried to ignore the half full wine glass that he saw sitting on the living room table. Blinking away the horrible images that surfaced in his head, Tig covered the last few steps down the hallway and froze at the sight before him.

The kitchen was an absolute mess. A chair was overturned by the doorway, and the entire room was in a general state of disarray. Willing his heart not to beat out of his chest, Tig quickly walked around the island, stopping short at the sight of Kellie's ripped shirt and pants on the floor. He heard Jax's footsteps as he started slowly up the stairs, and his eyes fell on the small puddle of blood on the dark countertop. _Shit, shit, shit._

Racing down the hallway and up the stairs, he was just nearing the top when he heard Jax's soft "holy shit" come from the end of the hallway. Tig stopped as he reached the second floor, meeting Jax's wide, worried eyes just before the younger man turned his head to look back into Kellie's bedroom. It only took a few strides to reach Jax and peer into the room himself, and the sight before him made his blood run cold.

Laying naked on the bed, curled up in a shaking ball, was Kellie. She was facing away from the door, but Tig could see dark bruises beginning to form on her lower back and waist, even from his spot in the doorway. The room was silent, but from the way her shoulders quivered ever so slightly, Tig knew that she was crying. He barely registered the gun on the nightstand before he saw the small stain of blood on the sheets next to her.

Jax snapped out of his shock just before Tig did, and he crossed the room to kneel next to the bed by her side. Kellie didn't even seem to notice his presence, even when Jax softly whispered her name. It wasn't until he tentatively reached his hand out to touch her arm that she showed any sort of reaction.

Immediately, as if she had been burned, she cringed away from him and let out a soft scream of panic, her voice weak with overuse. Jax tried to calm her down, pulling her into his arms as gently as he could, but it was clear that Kellie was absolutely terrified. As she whimpered and struggled to free herself from his embrace, her head turned in Tig's direction, and he sucked in a shocked breath at the bruises and cuts that marred her perfect face.

"N-no, no! Please, let me go!" She sobbed, fighting weakly against him. "P-please!" It was her soft, pleading voice that finally jarred Tig into action, and he crossed the room to sit on the side of the bed opposite Jax.

"Hey, sweetheart, it's okay," he murmured as soothingly as he could, "We're not gonna hurt you, it's just us." Kellie seemed too upset to respond, so Tig did the only thing he could think of, and he reached his hand up to gently cup her cheek, willing her to calm down. At his touch, her eyes flew up to meet his, wide with fear. She let out a soft gasp, and after a few seconds, her eyes flashed in recognition and she immediately stopped fighting against Jax's grip.

"Tig?" she whispered, tears still streaming down her bruised, swollen cheeks, "It's really you…?" He nodded, unable to speak, and his eyes met Jax's from over her shoulder. Jax's expression must have mirrored his own, mouth set in a grim line and rage burning in his eyes. He slowly removed his arms from around Kellie, careful not to startle her.

Kellie launched herself at Tig, wrapping her arms around his neck as she curled her head into his chest, her entire body shaking with the force of her sobs. His arms circled around her waist, and he pulled her fully into her lap before he shrugged off his kutte to wrap around her shoulders, offering her at least some sense of modesty.

"It was that asshole Blake, no question about it," Jax growled softly, careful to not let Kellie hear, "How should we handle this? He's got to pay for what he's done." Tig just shook his head, his worry for Kellie overpowering the pure rage that was flowing through him.

"We'll find him, but tonight, I've just got to take care of her. First thing tomorrow, we're gonna deal with this shit. For now, I'm taking her home. She doesn't need to be here."

Jax just nodded, allowing Tig to take control of the situation. After assuring Tig that he would call the rest of the guys and fill them in, Jax stepped out, giving the two some privacy. Shortly before he left, Kellie had passed out, either from her injuries or exhaustion, they weren't sure.

Making sure to keep his kutte wrapped around her to cover up the top half of her body, Tig grabbed a clean blanket from the closet and wrapped that around her as well. He lifted her up in his arms, careful to be gentle and avoid putting pressure on her cuts or bruised. Carrying her downstairs, he fished around in her purse for her car keys and shot a quick text to Jax, telling him to get one of the prospects to pick up his bike in the morning.

After gently setting her in the passenger seat of her car, Tig jogged around to the driver's side and started the engine. Leaning over to press a soft kiss to her forehead, he brushed some of the hair off her face and let his fingers ghost over her cheek.

"I'm here now, darlin', and I'm never letting go," he whispered to her before putting the car into gear. "Now let's go home." The whole ride back to his house, Tig kept a tender grip on her small hand as he thought over the events of the night. Mind racing, he tried to keep ideas of revenge out of his head. Tonight was about getting her home and safe, tomorrow would be about finding justice for the only woman he'd ever loved with his entire being.


End file.
